Pesach is one of the most popular Jewish
holidays. First of the three major festivals of Jews, it has both
historical and agricultural significance. Pesach marks the beginning
of the harvest season in Israel. However, the primary reason cited
for its observance is related to the Exodus of Hebrew slaves from
Egypt after generations of slavery. 'Pesach' in Hebrew means
'Passing over' referring to the fact that God 'passed over' the
houses of the Jews while afflicting the Egypt with the tenth plague.
Hence the name of the festival is 'Pesach' or 'Passover'. Christians
also celebrate 'Passover' on the Jesus was sacrificed with a view
that 'Jesus was the sacrificial lamb of God that delivered all
mankind from the slavery of sins.
The name 'Pesach' is also said to have been picked up from the fact
that it was the name of the sacrificial lamb that was made in the
Temple on this holiday before Exodus. Other names for this holiday
are 'Chag he-Aviv', which means 'the Spring Festival', 'Chag
ha-Matzoth', which means 'the Festival of Matzahs' and 'Z'man
Cherutenu', which means 'the Time of Our Freedom'. The holiday is
observed for eight days and Seder is observed on its first two
nights. The Fast of the Firstborn is observed on the day before
Pesach, which is a minor fast for all firstborn males to commemorate
the fact that firstborns of Israelites were saved during the slaying
in Egypt. Passover is a time for family gatherings and happiness for
Jews as it signifies that they are finally free and are their own
masters.
Passover 2008 Date: First night of Passover 2008 is April 20th.
